Yup...I've thought you guys were gonna take Merriman all along anyways, as I never expected Williams or Edwards or DJ to last to #7...but don't think you can trade down and get Merriman, he's a top ten and the #1 DE...just stay at #7 and take him, add WR at #18_________________

as aggressive as the vikes' front office has been this offseason, i expect them to trade extra players and draft choices and move up in line. to make sure they get the guy they want first. they're not going to leave it to chance.

could be a great draft to watch teams maneuver for the first 15-18 places this year.

Are you stupid? You have Bennet, Smith, and Moore. All could be starters in the league, and Smith could be elite. The Vikes keep jumping around and starting different backs and can never get set on just one. They need to start Onterrio Smith._________________

Yeah, no shot at all that we draft Benson, Moore and Smith have so much upside it isnt funny, we just need to figure out how to run the ball with our passing attack....something thats hard to do_________________

Good scenario . . . except for all those saying to take a RB. Christ, it was injuries to the OL that held our ground game down coupled with the fact we had to throw to stay in shootouts because of our D. If all we had was Bennett, Moore and Mo, we'd be just fine at RB. Smith is a luxury, but also a risk. As for the #7 pick, let's see where the DEs and safeties stack up. Maybe one of them will climb the charts.

Williamson might be a reach there, but if no one wants to trade up it should be either him, Merriman or Davis. Then again, maybe we take the best OT off the board. I hope one of the big three are still on the board then we don't have to worry about this.

Why would we take an OT in the first round? Even with BPA, none of the OT's would be worth the #7 pick. We're getting Rosenthall back (who signed a contract extension last year), and we have McKinnie, who is a #7 overall pick himself, and under contract for 2 or 3 more years. Behind them, we have Nat Dorsey who may have been a 1st rounder if he had stayed in school. Guard is the only need on the line, and that's not a major one. If Edwards, Williams, and Johnson are gone, then the draft probably looks something like this:

That leaves the Vikings with Antrell Rolle, Shawne Merriman, Dan Cody (underrated), Erasmus James, Pac Man Jones, Cedric Benson, Erasmus James, Marcus Spears, and Thomas Davis (Probably not after his effort at the combine) as the players that would merit that pick. Considering AZ drafts after us, I think Carolina might be willing to part with a pick or two to move up for Benson. I think that would be about the best possible scenario for a trade (trading down any farther than that for a 1st rounder without a starter or #1 next year would be a bad move).

I think Crowder would be the pick, he would allow the Vikings to move EJ to an outside position, where his athleticism can make up for his lack of Know-How. I also wouldn't rule out Dan Cody, he could play both end and OLB. He may be small for an end, and slow for a LB, but his production can't be taken lightly. He's got a motor, and terrorizes QB's.

Okay, if they don't trade #7, I think they reach a itsy bitsy bit and take Merriman.

PS I know I only factored in the two trades, but we can't possibly predict all the wheeling and dealing that will be done on draft day. I'm sure someone will trade up to the top 18 to grab Alex Smith, so the Vikings could be in a position to pick up even more picks since their 2nd pick comes before the Cowboys' and Chargers'. Alas, that's for another day._________________